Ukrainian officials said Wednesday that the defense agreements and cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey help to modernize and bring Ukraine’s post-Soviet military systems up to NATO standards.
Mykhailo Samus, the deputy director of foreign affairs at the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies, told Anadolu Agency (AA) Wednesday that since the armed conflict with Russia began in 2014, it has become even more important for Ukraine to find its place in the region and in the world. He noted that Turkey, in this regard, is an important country as a regional leader.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry signed a series of agreements on Dec. 14 with the Turkish side on the production and technology transfer of naval corvettes and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV), which were the first direct foreign trade deals inked in the defense field in the ministry’s history.
Samus said that Ankara is the most important partner for Kyiv in terms of the defense industry. He said Turkey’s defense industry is developed and can meet the needs of the Ukrainian military. Baykar-made Bayraktar TB2 drones are one of the Turkish products Ukraine has already purchased to meet those needs.
Samus said Turkey‘s ASELSAN makes up a major part of the cooperation in the military communication field, noting that this partnership has been a turning point. “Ukraine wants to be a NATO country. Thus, cooperation with Turkey has utmost importance for Ukraine to bring its army up to a NATO-standard modern system from a post-Soviet one,” he said.
